Impulse
by xXxfiredancerxXx
Summary: An old face returns to Alucard. Rated M for language, mild violence, and sexual situations. Warning: ch6 contains a lemon. Please review, follow, and/or favorite if you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_"What the hell is taking her so long?" _Seras backed away from me as I growled in frustration. My servant and lady should have been here three days previous. It was hot, the sun was shining too bright, and the damn buzz of the machinery repairing part of the mansion was grating on the very last shred of patience I had.

I had not even considered the possibility that my servant was still alive, the majority of the elves having been abolished during the last great war. When Baskerville devoured the scum, I had felt an old tug in my mind. I had captured the elves with Baskerville, and I assume that was what reawakened her presence to me.

She should have come running to me then, literally, a week to arrive at most, it had been close to three. Sighing, I stood a little more into the shadow of the archway, scanning the distance for my servant. "Master,"

"What is it?"

"There's someone coming from the east." Snapping my head in that direction, I saw the figure that had a grin spreading across my face.

"Good." Even from this distance it was obvious she was injured. Still, she moved with a grace possessed only by her race. Ebony hair streamed behind her as she ran, it was shorter in some places than other. A bare foot landed on the lowest horizontal bar of the fence, she swung up to the second and then over the fence, landing on the shoulders of a screaming guard. Her face was contorted in a mixture of pain and fury, she jumped from the shoulders of the guard onto the barrel of another's gun.

"Watch, police girl." Blue eyes widened as the slim figure jumped onto the mansion wall, finding hand holds, swinging her way up by balcony bars. The female made her way onto ledge of the balcony we were on. She jumped from the ledge to stand in front of us.

The years hadn't changed her very much. Her face was angular from weight loss, her large, emerald, doe shaped eyes were sunken from hunger and lack of sleep. "My Count." She swayed as she stood. The gray clothing she wore was torn. I studied her appearance for a second longer, noting that her hair had been hastily cut, sweat dripped from her face, her visible skin was covered in bruises and cuts, and there was a large chunk of skin missing from between her shoulders. That in particular concerned me.

The skin appeared ripped away, crusted blood was only interrupted by the sweat that urged the blood to moisten and drip. The wound itself was infected, purple and green in areas, she smelled of rotting flesh, pain, and exhaustion. I dropped my eyes to her feet, they were bleeding.

"Ran," I breathed her name out, remembering fondly the nights I had cradled her to me. Her large eyes blinked up at me, each one a miniature forest of swirling greens, flecked with yellow. Ran took a weary step towards me, her lips upturning for a moment before the determination faded from her eyes, furrowed eyebrows relaxed, and her body dropped.

Easily, I caught her before she hit the concrete. It was almost impossible to carry her nicely and not rub against her open flesh, so I threw her over my shoulder, back facing up. "Seras, inform Sir Integra that an old friend, and a new addition to her forces, has arrived. Tell Walter to draw a hot bath." She nodded, thankfully not asking any questions, and hurried off to do as I instructed.

I took a moment to pry into Ran's mind. She was dead on her feet, pain had been pounding through her entire system, from her back to what I assumed to be shin splints. The smile returned, it was once in a hundred years that someone as stubborn and determined as Ran was born. I loved it, she could have died a thousand times, but she too damn stubborn.

I phased with her through the wall, taking her down to the room with a lovely bath. It was freshly drawn, steam rising from the transparent water. Not bothering with modesty, I cut away Ran's clothing, remembering a time centuries ago, after a long battle, when I was in the same position. Carefully,I laid her on the counter, before I could heal her wound, I had to remove the infection and rot.

She made small sounds as I removed pieces of ragged flesh, perhaps waking up and passing out again. When the wound was suitable, I leaned over her, marveling in the warmth of her skin, her core temperature was hotter than that of a human's, her skin tasted of salt and dirt, not what I remembered. The sweet, bloody taste filled my mouth as I worked my tongue over her back, creating an excess of saliva to cover up the wound. More of the small sounds came from her as the skin began to attach and heal.

"Dracula," her voice was a groan as she tried to sit up, ending up falling into the floor. I smiled down at her as she struggled to stand, completely amused at her personal battle to find some sort of strength in her limbs.

"Kitten," I purred, bending down to grab her. Her ribs were protruding and her collar bones were sickly. Her once toned and strong body now resembled the corpse of an athlete. She was still my Ran though. Her struggle ceased once I lowered her into the water. Gently as I could manage, I washed the filth and matted blood out of her hair and then off of her body.

"It's been a long time." She blinked at me as I scrubbed dirt off of her nose and cheek.

"A very long time." Under different circumstances, it might have been pleasing to bathe her, now it was sad to see my elf taken down to this level. The majority of the remaining cuts seemed purely superficial, I'd leave them for later. "Do you want to meet the head of Hellsing today, or would you prefer to wait until tomorrow?"

"Hm," the sound came from her throat, her wet forehead fell against my chest, causing a flicker of irritation to start up as the water began soaking through my duster. Remembering how sensitive to touch she was, I grazed a finger along her ear, examining where her ear came to a point. A squeak of a sounds came from her as she further nuzzled her wet face against me.

"Do you feel clean?" In response, she nodded. There wasn't a towel in sight so I pushed her back into the water and removed my already wet coat, pulled her out of the water, and wrapped her in it before I collected her in my arms again. "I'm taking you to my coffin." She nodded against me, mumbling something in Scandinavian along with " Count Dracula."

_Seras, bring me something for Ran to wear._

_Yes, Master!_ I inwardly groaned at how excitable my draculina was. Ran was resting heavily against me, her body having pushed to the absolute limit. Seras opened the door timidly, her blue eyes lighting up when she caught mine.

"Sir Integra says she wants to meet her as soon as she is suitable for such a meeting." She held out a folded, red article of clothing. When I made no move to take it, she placed it on the small table next to me and titled her head. "Who is that? Why are her ears pointy?"

"She is Ran, the Destroyer, an elf." Seras nodded, her stomach growled, my eyebrows narrowed, the idiot wouldn't drink blood. I stared at Seras until she began retreating up the stairs, when she had left, I pulled my duster away from Ran, replacing it with a soft, plaid button up that dropped to her mid thigh.

The prospect of sleep was overwhelming. The sun was beginning to set, I rid myself of everything except my pants and pulled the familiar figure to me, breathing in the scent that was now all Ran's, content that blood, sweat, and filth no longer masked the sweet, natural scents that swirled from her.

The lid of my coffin replaced itself as she curled into me, sending an unexpected shiver of delight down my spine.

_*Green eyes burned holes into my own. Her breaths came in small pants as she laid in the dirt. "Goddamned vampire," her voice was a hiss. Her body had stopped functioning, I could almost taste her pain as she tried to force herself to do something, anything._

_Laughter tore from my throat as I dismounted the dark horse, pulling the elf into my arms. "You did very well, Ran, I might make a suitable gaurd out of you yet. The warrior elf rolled her head in an attempt to struggle. She growled as I laughed harder._

_The small figure had been forced to run as I followed her on horseback. It was a daily routine, chasing her until she literally couldn't go a step further. She never complained, the elf took the training better than any of the men. In her mind, complaining would be a show of weakness, so she ran, she fought, she slaughtered, and she stayed besides me while I slept._

_"Ah, kitten," I sighed into her hair. When we returned to the castle, I personally bathed her and cleaned up the scratches on her legs. There was no protest as I cradled her into my chest that day in her sleep she nuzzled my chest, completely unaware of the implications her innocent actions.*_

Her nose tickled my chest as she snuggled into my body. A sigh parted from me as I gave into the exhaustion and slipped into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you trying to play predator?" I raised an eyebrow as Ran straddled my hips, her hands pressing my shoulders down. Her eighty pound structure would have been terribly easy to knock off me, so I stayed down and waited to see what destruction she had been attempting.

"Why did you demand my presence?!" She pressed her face to mine, glaring hard at me.

"Well, you are contracted to me, and you are not dead. Did you know that you literally only have a shirt on?"

"Could it have not waited until I was in a less compromising position? Asshole." I laughed again, as her sharp nails bit into my throat.

"Tell me more about that. I'm curious to what happened to your back."

"I was chained to a wall, a ring had been inserted through my back, so when you called me I had no choice but to come to you, meaning I had to rip the ring out."

"Did it hurt?" I raised my head, despite the blood that began to flow from my neck, in order to graze my tongue over her hypersensitive ear. "Did you bleed for hours?" My sentence ended in a groan as she raked her nails over my face, effectively quieting me.

"It did, actually. Go figure." I glanced down her legs, they were the same, creamy white, only they were interrupted by large purple, yellow, black, and blue splotches.

"Now, kitten, you have the big bad wolf pinned. What are you going to do next?"

"I thought about ripping your throat out. I also thought about gouging out your eyes."

"Mm, both sound nice." I lifted my hips to get my message across. Her emerald eyes were a glare again as she realized the only article of clothing separating our lower halves were my pants.

"You know, I would simply love to rip out your intestines and string lights through them as decoration." She hissed as a smile crossed my face.

"You have all the right words."

"Shut up," she huffed, her cheeks flushed ever so slightly. Bored, I grabbed her waist and flipped her over, caging her in.

"What now?" Teeth cut into my wrist as she tried to buck me off, "brilliant idea, bite the vampire." She froze as I snapped my teeth at her, trying to ignore the pounding in my stomach that began to travel lower.

"You should have just let me sleep." Ran gave me a long look, her eyebrows knitting together.

"You have to meet Sir Integra."

"I want to sleep."

"Ran,"

"Dracula."

"Alucard, actually," I corrected her, "this isn't optional."

"I haven't had a full night's sleep as far as I can remember."

"You're memory is damaged slightly, isn't it?" There were black spots that cut into the majority of her imprisonment. Her eyes widened as she looked up at me.

"Unfortunately." Her voice was breathy as an overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over me. I shook it off, it wasn't my fault the stupid elves managed to get themselves captured. Her gaze hardened again as she tried a second time to get me off her. I rolled over so she was on top of me again, a short strand of hair falling over one eye.

"What happened to your hair?" I reached up to flick the short strand.

"I was just about out of grounds when someone grabbed me by the hair and began dragging me back. Having procured knife, I sliced off what he had in his hand and continued."

"Did you kill him?"

"Of course I killed him. I gutted and decapitated him. I even took the time to pin his head to a tree by his tongue."

Through her mind I could see her shoving the knife through his tongue, blood dripped down the tree as she pinned the head to it before stealing off through the forest. "That's an attractive thought."

She let out a half laugh half snort before going limp, her muscles relaxing as she rested on me. "Why don't you relive it a couple times while I go back to sleep?"

"If Sir Integra gets mad at me, I may not be able to go on a hunt any time soon."

"So?" She was nuzzling me again, her hand was delicate and delightfully warm on my shoulder.

"If I don't go on hunts, I don't get to kill anyone, and that's really been my only arousal as of late."

"Oh, you poor thing." I sighed at her, she was rubbing my chest now, sending bolts of warmth and pleasure through me. I grabbed her hand, realizing she was trying to weasel her way into sleep. Ran gave me small smile before moving to bury her face into my side. Her body was tempting beyond control.

"If Integra gets mad, I'm blaming you in full."

"You'd throw me to the wolves?" She muttered, her long eyelashes tickling my skin.

"Without hesitation." I slipped an arm around her, pulling her warm body closer.

"I've missed you, asshole." Her breath was warm and pleasant on my exposed flesh.

I sighed, knowing in full that I should shove her out of my coffin and march her up to Integra. I contented myself with the hopes that Integra would at least put a bullet through my skull. "I've missed you too." This seemed to please the elf, who wrapped her legs with mine.

Walter brought a bundle of clothes suitable for Ran. He seemed vaguely interested with her ears. Ran pilfered through the bundle, finally settling on tight, black bottoms and a shirt similar to a button up. Both were a soft material, resentment of Elven silk, but not quite as smooth.

"Do you think she'll hate me?" Ran was perched on the back of my throne, staring down at me, the green of her eyes breaking through the comforting gloom.

Trying to keep my patience I breathed deeply, "Why would she hate you?"

"I don't know." She dropped from the top of the back into my lap, letting out a heavy breath as she did so. The concern was wrapped around her mind as she moved to an arm rest, her knees by her shoulders as she stared at me, her face only a few inches away from my own.

"Come on." I stood, downing the rest of my blood and working my shadows to phase me to Sir Integras, leaving a cursing Ran behind to figure out where I was.

I stayed in Integra's shadow, hinting that Ran wasn't human when questions were thrown at me. There was a slam as Ran stepped through the door, black locks all over the place as she locked eyes with me.

"Ran," Integra was standing in front of the window, not facing the elf, "Alucard tells me you wish to be an addition to Hellsing?"

"I do not initially wish it, personally. However, if my Count wishes it then it is my only desire, Sir."

"Explain this." Integra spun around, her pale blonde hair streaming out as she met my elf's eyes. "Why is it that you bow to this monster?"

Ran dropped to her knee as I stood besides my master. She looked almost identical to the time before our first battle, with her long hair sticking up in odd areas, the quiet fire in her eyes, even the clothing was almost the same. "My Count and I have a contract."

"I see. Ran, can you kill vampires?"

A flicker of amusement crossed Ran's pale face, her tongue grazed over her teeth, "Kill vampires?" she laughed quietly to herself as I met Integra's vexed face with a grin of my own. "Nothing on this planet can give me more pleasure than tearing through the flesh of a vampire, cutting out their hearts, removing their heads and brains. Sir Integra, yes, I can kill vampires."

"Then you, Ran, are a member of Hellsing."

"I need weapons. Daggers, knives, blades." She grinned as Integra nodded.

"There is nothing I need of you today, Alucard." She sat back at her desk, as I considered my options.

"Can I go for a walk?"

"Be back five hours before sunrise."

Hastily, I grabbed my elf by the shirt and pulled her to me as I slipped through the levels until we were in the entrance hall. "Are you going out?" Walter gave us a long look.

"Yes." I rid myself of the hat and duster in hopes of blending in with the night crowd.

Ran looked up at me, her face looked much hollower than I remembered. "A coat, miss?" He offered a light weight, black button up coat to Ran who slipped it on, long, delicate fingers slipping the buttons through their holes.

"Thank you," he inclined his head at her and continued up the stairs.

"You don't get to go out very often just for the hell of it, do you?" Ran asked as we turned a corner.

I shook my head as we entered a congested area, the night crowd was mingling in pub doors and all night shops. Men were staring at Ran as if she was a piece of meat to be traded. "Forgive me, Ran," I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to me as we continued, hoping to keep their looks away before I splattered their brains onto the concrete.

Still, it felt nice to be out on my own accord for once. Sir Integra was certainly cruel, allowing me out on rare occasions just to remind me that I had to fnd permission. She made sure I knew that I was on a short leash. Ran's arm slipped around me as well as we walked. I didn't have a plan on where we were going, so we sat on a bench, watching the human's drink themselves into a stupor.

"Do you remember when you ordered me to get drunk?"

"It took a glass of wine." A chuckled escaped me as I recalled the memory. It had been out of sheer boredom.

"I can't help it." She shrugged and moved so she was leaning into me. I let her warmth work through my clothing. It was a beautiful night, the moon was only at a quarter, a cool wind broke through the slight heat.

We stayed on the bench until it was time to return to the mansion. Ran whined and fussed until I let her clamber onto my back. "I don't remember you being so needy," I growled as she nuzzled into my neck.

"You used to just do things without my asking." My muscles stiffened as a mouth closed over my neck, biting the flesh. "Ran, do not bite the vampire."


	3. Chapter 3

The elf looked up to the vampire. She took in the crimson eyes and ashen flesh. Her stomach was clenching from hunger, her muscles throbbed and ached from what it took to return to her Count. Eyes narrowing, she took a step away from him. Slowly, memories of her imprisonment returned.

"What is it?" his voice was silken and low as he extended a hand, gently tilting her face up to his. "Someone touched you." She didn't whimper or back away, despite the speed in which he heart began to beat. "Someone violated you." he grabbed her, hands easily closing around her forearms, her eyes snapped shut as he tugged her roughly into his chest. "I'll kill them."

His scent wrapped around her as he sank to his knees as her knees buckled. Humiliation washed over her, heat rushed through her, an urge to cry washed over her, but the tears were forced away. Her Count could never know of her weakness.

"Who was it?"

"A doctor." Ran's voice wasn't working properly, and she pushed her face further into Alucard's chest, taking a deeper inhalation of his dark smell. That had been her comfort as of late, breathing in his scent and snuggling into familiar arms. A hand ran down her back, travelling back up, rubbing the previously injured spot.

"I will kill him."

"No." Her eyes narrowed as she slid her hands under the crimson coat, attempting to rub his back in a similar fashion. "I will kill him."

"Then I will watch." A shiver ran down her spine as he purred in her ear, brushing cold lips over them, her head tilting at the contact. Ran pressed her cheek to his chest as a sensation in her mind alerted her that he was prying into her mind. The memory he was searching for was blurry and heavy.

_Her head slammed into the stone wall as someone yanked her chain, pain rippling through her body. A tall figure was grabbing her, ripping her pants down as she tried to kick with shackled limbs. She wasn't about to lower herself and beg for mercy, she wasn't going to scream out in fear, no, she stared into his eyes, glaring, arms and legs spread by chains as he slammed into her, grinning._

_"One day, I will bathe in your blood." She spat in his face as he laughed and stalked away._

A hand was cradling her head gently. Ran glanced up as Alucard nuzzled her face, lips brushing over her nose, lips, forehead, and cheeks. Fire swept through her body at the memory of the man's touch. Her body felt unclean and impure at the idea of anyone besides her Count touching her. "It's not your fault." He muttered, apparently sensing her internal disgust.

"I want to kill something." her hand slipped a dagger out of the fold of her sleeve. The amusement in the vampire's eyes wasn't lost to her. "I'll settle." A sigh left her as a shower of blood rained down on her. Her hand twisted the blade in Alucard's throat, his eyes were wide as she removed the blade to stab him between the eyes, his skull cracking as she furthered the blade.

Momentarily contented, Ran sat under the dripping blood of her count. "Ran," she smiled at his growl and licked some of the blood from his neck, the warm, spicy blood almost had her arching her back. "A warning next time, maybe?" she shivered as he ran his tongue along her neck, licking his blood away.

"Dr-rac-ah!" Heat punctured her throat replaced by an icy chill as he plunged his fangs to their full length in her throat. A freezing hand slid under her shirt, supporting her back, the other pulled her head back by her hair, ensuring her throat would stay revealed to him. Mildly frustrated at the pleasure that wracked her body, her own hands tangled into the ebony hair of her Count, he made small sounds as she tugged at his hair. He chuckled after making the sounds and removed his fangs, blood dripped down his chin as he gave her a smoldering look.

Then he was on her, lips crashing and capturing. Blood dripped down her neck, pooling in the hollow of her collar bones. It was struggle to keep up with the vampire, he danced his tongue over her lips and inside her mouth, letting her attempt to dominate him before he took full control. Back arching on it's own accord, she pushed against the Count as he kissed down the dripping blood, healing the wound with a couple licks.

"It's been a while, my Lady," she couldn't see his face from his position on her neck, but the grin was apparent in his voice.

"Too long," she sighed as he licked their blood away.

A mixture of panic and calm washed over her, panic that he had her caged to the floor with his body, but calm that it _was_ so familiar. "I want to replace those memories." Her hands grabbed at the wrists besides her head and bucked up in an attempt to roll him off her. "Are you trying to conquer the big bad wolf, kitten? Are you going to try and pin me? What then, would you do if you succeeded?"

She sighed as he rolled over so she was on top, her small frame mimicking the position he had been in. He smirked as he waited for her response. She blinked at him, trying to work out her next move.

"Well, kitten?" Her body broke out in chills as he grabbed her waist, forcing her to straddle over his hips.

"Dracula," his name felt wonderful leaving her mouth, it was her favorite name. Another small sound left him as he lifted his hips, grinding into her, forcing a small gasp out of her mouth, clutching onto his shoulders or momentary support.

"You make the most delicious sounds." The mewl escaped her as he pulled her to his hips, giving her an idea of how excited he was. The grin returned to her face as he dropped his hips back, tilting his head upwards to send a jolt of electricity from her lips to her stomach. "Do you want this, dear?" Without thinking, she was nodding into her count, who had maneuvered so he was on top. Legs wrapping around him, Ran clung to the vampire as he picked her up, moving to his coffin, ridding himself of his coat and sunglasses in the process, his hat lay on the ground from their antics.

Her stomach was already pounding when he started working on her neck, scraping the sensitive skin with his fangs, kissing, and sucking. Breathing became a task as her fingers knotted into his hair, tugging him back to her swollen lips.

Fangs drew blood from her bottom lip, smearing the crimson as he deepened the kiss.

"Goddamn it," he growled, dropping his forehead onto hers as a heavy sigh left him. Ran let out her breath as he traced his knuckles down her cheek before pulling back all the way. "Fuck." He growled, snatching his hat off the floor.

"What is it?" In vain, she dragged her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the tousled hair.

"Integra wants a report," Crimson eyes shot her a deadly glance, he was ready, she realized, to rip someone apart for disturbing where they had been. "I'll be back."

Irritated, Ran pulled herself out of the coffin, running a finger over her bottom lip. For a moment Alucard had looked exactly as he had years and years ago. The elf shook her head, trying to clear out images of the Count as she walked around the room. Chill bumps broke over her arms.

Humming, she slid the door closed behind her, mentally marking where the hidden door was in the hallway. The floor was a little warmer outside of his chamber. It would only be a matter of time, she figured, before she would run into Walter or someone who would be able to point her in his direction.

The stone walls reminded her of Dracula's Castle, a heavy breath seemed to settle on her. It had been so long since she had seen her Count, yet it only felt like a year or more. _Is that because of my imprisonment? _Eyebrows furrowing at this thought, the elf turned a corner, finding herself at the base of a staircase. Shrugging, she walked up the stairs, trying to ignore the pain in her shins, as though someone was shoving hot pokers through her bones with every step.

"Miss?"

"Walter," She spun around and sent the butler a small smile. "I was looking for you."

"You seem in a state disarray." An unpleasant shiver left her as he gave her a knowing look.

"Ah, yes. Walter could you do me a really big favor?"

"Hm?" He raised an eyebrow, the monocle glinting in the light.

Ran hugged her arms around her waist, "It's really cold in Alucard's chamber. Is there a potential way I could obtain a blanket?"

He looked mildly taken aback, "Any material in particular?"

"Kind of a scratchy, but soft wool. Not too thick, just enough to break the chill." She gave him a hopeful smile, ignoring her growling stomach and slight headache.

"Certainly, miss. Is there anything else I can get for you? Food perhaps? I do not belive you've eaten since you've arrived."

"That would be heavenly."

"Do you have preferences?"

"None." She smiled and began to work her way back down the stairs, "Thank you so much." He inclined his head and walked away.

Ran managed her way back to Alucard's chamber, missing the slightly less oppressive master bedroom in the old castle. At least there had been a window, albeit it was barred, tiny, and covered with a thick, velvet curtain that completely blocked out the light, but at least it had been there.

"Dracula!" The smile stretched across her face as she watched him take his place on his chair. He was pissed, she noted as he ripped a blood bag open and drained the contents into his throat.

"That was pointless." His voice was deep and mildly threatening, Ran titled her head up at him to study his mood. Inwardly shrugging she leaped onto the arm rest, curiously sniffing the new scent on him.

"It didn't take long." Tenderly, she nuzzled his cheek, enjoying briefly how cold he was.

"No, I showed up and she had changed her mind." His hands were clenched into fists, his pupils were constricted.

"Awh," She laughed lightly as a knock sounded at the door. It creaked open as Walter walked down the stairs, a tray in one hand, the other holding a gray, folded, blanket.

He smiled and sat the tray on the side table, handing her the blanket before bowing and retreating from the chamber.

"You could have told me you were cold." He returned the nuzzle after along stretch of silence.

Ran grinned against him, "Didn't want to bother you."

"Eat something." He gave her a light shove towards the tray, "I can hear your stomach."

Still perched on the arm rest, Ran picked through the bread and cheese, enjoying the savory warmth of the soup Walter had brought for her.

"You're in a mood." She muttered, keeping a small distance between the two of them.

"I was enjoying myself." He dropped his head back against the chair, the equivalent to him pouting.


	4. Chapter 4

Ran slept by my side, wrapped tightly in the blanket Walter had brought her. It wasn't a gently slumber; her breaths were labored, her feet slammed into my shins hard enough to irritate me, I was more concerned with the dream that was causing this, however.

_Ran was running through the forest, a small elf clung to her back as she fought through brambles and heavy vines. She stopped running and motioned for the child to begin climbing. Nestled among the limbs were other children. Ran took off, going a different way and leading a false trail. _

_Blood dripped from a wound on her side, she took to the branches, moving into the smoke and ash. The village was thick with smoke and she was trying to climb a house, hands grabbed at her, yanking her deep into the earth. Her panic was all consuming._

_"Little girl," she scrambled back against the stone wall, "why are you hiding from me?"_

I shook he by the shoulders, she was combining previous events with those of her childhood. Green eyes snapped open, nails cut into my arms as she hissed. The dream was fading, she relaxed and fell limp, moving only to scoot a little closer to me, making a quiet sound between a mewl and a whimpered. Pity clutched at me, I stroked her sweaty hair and kissed her temple, wishing my Lady would sleep with ease.

*_There was nothing going on in the castle, the mercinaries had finished training and were lounging in the bare trees, chatting away like birds. The elves laughed with one another, a few threw cherry pits at the impaled bodies surrounding them, cheering when they managed to get a pit into an open mouth._

_Ran was in the topmost branch, she'd hang upside down for a moment and pull a face behind one of the other's back. The elves were cheerful, as usual, when the sun began to peak out, one by one they fell from the tree, some flipping and others rolling as they hit the ground. It was almost graceful to watch._

_Ran was leading them, teasing them as she easily out ran the rest of them. She caught my eyes, sitting on a balcony to overlook my soldiers. The other mercinary elves went into the castle, but Ran began scaling the castle, grinning when she was level with me, her green eyes lighting up when I adjusted my position so she could easily embrace me. "Morning's almost here," I nodded at her words and buried my face in her soft hair._

_"Indeed," Holding her, I stood, kissing her face as I worked my way to my bedchamber. She was technically my night gaurd, it had started with her standing outside of my room, then just inside the door, to besides my coffin,then I had her laying ontop of me, protecting my heart, now, we curled together._

_"I have a social event I must attend." I sighed into the crook of her neck._

_"That sounds atrocious." _

_"It will be, will you be my date?" I could feel her lips curl into a smile._

_"Of course, my Count." She brought my hand to her lips, brushing them over my knuckles._

_"Just Dracula, my dear," her muscles tensed at the first affectionate title I have given her._

"Dracula?"

"Alucard."

"Alucard?

"What?"

"I missed you." It was about the twentieth time she had said that since I called her.

"I noticed." Against the hollow of my throat I could feel her soft, warm lips pucker into a smiling kiss.

*time skip*

Ran rushed ahead of Seras and myself, her pupils had consticted to cat like slits. After killing a horde of ghouls, she was completely lost in blood lust. I grit my teeth and passed her running, the need to kill something had been overwhelming, and there was no way in hell that Ran was taking my opportunity from me.

Seras stopped and started as Ran stabbed me in the throat. I felt the blood spray over her, furious, I planted my fist into the side of her head, she landed in a heap, but managed to her feet and shoved two daggers into my shoulders.

The fight continued, I refrained from shooting her, each of us trying to dominate the other in a struggle to be the one to kill the vampire. "What the hell, man?" I shot up from Ran, slamming her into a tree that effectively silenced her, and began to shoot the other vampire.

A rush settled over me as a bullet tore through his arm, laughter ripped from my throat, snapping my head back as I showered him with bullets, avoiding any spot that would actually kill the scum.

When I finally planted a bullet through his head I was almost buzzing with excitement. Ran let out a small groan and I did the same, realizing that her bones were smaller than those of a human, and even more delicate.

"You goddamned asshole. I was going to kill him." She muttered out as I scooped her off the ground, furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Don't be an idiot," she was trying to walk on her own, vermillion was leaking from a spot on her forehead, I pulled her up a little further, enabling myself to be able to relish the sweet blood. Seras was oddly quiet as we walked back to the helicopter, Sir Integra was waiting impatiently.

Her rabbit heart was beating loudly, she was glaring up at me, not bothering to try to escape from my hold on her. I indugled in her anger, recalling the feel of her freezing blades slicing through my throat.

We arrived at the mansion in an hour, Ran was sleeping, her eyes screwed up tight as memories swirled around.

_"What are you going to do, little elf? We've got you snared like a fox." A knife slashed the front of her shirt. The chain attached to her back had been tightened as she thrashed. An inhumane growl left her as she spat at him, saliva landing on the cheek of the doctor, dripping down to his chin._

_"Fiesty," a gloves hand groped across her chest, she hissed and growled, snapping sharp teeth in a vain attempt to rip his flesh off. A tear dripped form her eyes as the chains were drawn in by a crank._

_"She can't be that much of a problem." Ran growled from her position on the wall, threatening them to step closer. "How much does she weight?"_

_"Seventy four pounds, sir. But have you ever had seventy pounds slamming into your face?" _

_"Don't unshackle her legs,idiot. We shackled them to prevent this." They approached her, she crouched, completely ready to tear them limb from limb, even if she had to break bones to do so._

_The air hissed, her bodyslammed into the wall as something dull, yet sharp stabbed into her thigh. "Fuck," the vision grew hazy as she stumbled against the wall, what had they done?"_

_Her stomach was bruning, mouth was thick from the cotton that had accumulated. Out of reach was a cart loaded with water and fruit. Ran slumped over from hunger and thirst._

_"Just tell us where the others are," teeth cut into a fleshy lip, pain and blood keepig her from completely giving in. _"Anything you tell them will sign your death."_ She thought furiously, slamming her eyes closed as he took a long sip of water before pouring the precious liquid onto the stone floor._

Lips touching her forehead, I tried to ease the memories. A tiny sound left her as we entered the large, stone wall I inhabited.

I sat her in the chair, where she curled up and continued to sleep. Integra ws beckoning me.

"Yes, Master?" I raised an eyebrow as she took her place at her desk.

"Alucard, what is Ran to you? A toy? A mate? What?" Her blue eyes were hard as she faced me.

"She is a companion."

"Of what nature?"

I smirked up at my Master, "Why are you asking these questions? Are you concerned about our devious activities?" Interga narrowed her eyes, the light flashed across her glasses as she fixed an even harder stare on me.

"Yes, I am asking if one, she is chaste, two, if she is of actual value to you, and three, if you are capable of finding out who imprisoned her."

"She is certainally not chaste, but there is no worry of her turning into a ghoul. She is of the upmost value to me. I can ask, but I'm not sure if she knows."

"Try to find out, Alucard. It could prove to be very important information.


	5. Chapter 5

Ran was covered in blood, as was I. I pressed her back into a tree as her lips crashed on mine, having recently taken out four vampires, we were both at the height of blood lust.

Initially she had charged me, landing a dagger into my forehead and through my neck. Then she was on me, legs wrapped around my waist as I tried to control my actions.

A sound slipped out of her as I took a handful of her hair. Ran's lips were plush and smooth, warm and sweet. I groaned against them.

"M-master?" Ran groaned in frustration as I dropped her to her feet, slowly turning to glare at my draculina before stalking off to the armored truck.

She slept soundly as the truck maneuvered over the land. The blood wine washed out the foul taste in my mouth, stemming mostly from anger. She hadn't changed too much in last couple hundred years, her face was a little more adult, it suited her nicely.

A smirk crawled onto my face as I wiped a streak of blood off her cheek,fully noticing how different her bone structure was from a human's. I glared at Seras, who smiled in guilt and quickly looked away. There had been no need for her to interrupt. I closed my eyes, recalling the feral eyes that charged me, her hair flying behind her as she leapt over obstacles until she was on me, murderous intent etched onto every inch of her face.

Another sip of blood wasn't enough to distract my train of thought from when I declared her mine. It had been after a long battle_. _

_We were coated in the blood of our enemies, Ran wore minimal armor, her defense being her agility. Her titled eyes were narrow as blood dripped from a superficial wound on her forehead. Ran's hair was stiff with dried and matted blood, her thin body turned to me, a feral grin on her face as she charged me, her dagger aimed for my heart. _

_I snatched her hand and threw the dagger aside, piercing someone as I pulled her to me, our lips crashed and danced. She tasted of blood, sweat, and hatred. She was going to kill me if she could, her wrist snapped when I slammed her in a tree, Ran hissed in pain and bit my neck, as if to rip it open. _

I snapped myself out of the past and finished the blood in a hurried gulp. Seras was looking at me again, but turned her head as I raised an eyebrow. I think we may have frightened my Draculina.

Ran's breathing grew rough and before I could wake her, she bolted into a sitting position, hurling one of her daggers straight between my eyes. My head shot back from the momentum, warmth trickled towards my hairline until I sat up and it reversed, dripping down my nose.

Mildly vexed, I slid the dagger out, the wound closing behind it. Her eyes were wide, narrowed into slits, but they rounded out like a cats as she gathered her whereabouts. For fun, I threw the dagger back at her, she snatched the handle and shoved it into a hidden spot on her shirt sleeve.

Sitting by Seras amplified how underdeveloped Ran looked. Not just her chest, but her entire being. She was a little shorter than Seras, appearing more delicate and easily broken. That was thing about elves, though. They look so fragile, but when I'd try to torture one, I'd find their joints are almost too flexible to be twisted, that their stubbornness would deprive me of their screams.

It had once been important that I retrieved information from an elf. I had the elf placed in a metal box for ten hours, then proceeded to crush every finger bone, his appendages were slowly sawed off. The idiot didn't say a word. I left him to die in a sewage ditch.

The memory brought a smile creeping across my face, it faded when Ran shuddered, green eyes fluttering with exhaustion. Guilt pierced at me, perhaps I shouldn't have killed all of those elves. Albeit, I only killed a total of thirty seven. Her white teeth flashed as she yawned, back to their usual state.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Seras asked in the way one might speak to a small child. In response, Ran glared at my fledgling, her eyebrows arching as Seras gave her a curious look.

*time skip*

A warm, rushing wave of contentment swept over me as the body besides me curled closer. Her scent was light, a mixture of pine and minty shampoo. Closing my eyes, I breathed it in, she twitched when my arm slid around her delicate shoulders and down her back, attempting to ward off the nightmares she'd never admit having.

Gently prying into her mind I found the current display of her nightmare.

_Ran was chained to the wall. Her wrists were red and irritated, her head was dropped as a tall man walked towards her, his shadow falling over her frame. A large hand grabbed her jaw and forced her to look up, she spit in his eyes and snapped her teeth at him, saliva dripped down her chin. His fist collided with her, snapping her head back into the stone wall_

_"Won't talk?" Her unchained legs twitched as he stepped back, her knees were drawn into her chest before she shoved them into the man's gut, sending him a couple feet back._

_Ran's scream ripped through the air. The chain hooked through her back was yanked on, sending her slamming into the wall. Her eyes were narrow as he yanked a needle from his coat and slammed it into her veins. _

_Her body twisted and jerked, she hissed and growled, slamming her head into the wall as the control of her body was taken away._

Easing out of her mind, I felt something hot and wet on my chest, the elf was sobbing in her sleep, her limbs twitched and she trembled. Closing my eyes, I pulled her up to easily press my lips to her warm forehead. Ran's body settled, her face tilted down to nuzzle in my shoulder.

Only when her nightmare faded away did my hand stop rubbing her back. I checked her dreams, she was back in the forest, playing with the youthlings, secretly teaching them how to maneuver through the tress under the pretenses of a game.

The smile tugged at my mouth as she moved her lips against my skin, and I was finally content enough to fall asleep as well.

*Ran's POV*

A yawn worked it's way out of her as she woke, her head foggy from sleep, but something was different. Arms tightened around her, a panic built up until she caught the familiar scent. Ran was with her Count and all was well.

She was too groggy to try and decide what decade they were in, he was awake, breathing slowly across her face as eyes met red eyes, the only things visible in the darkness. A pleasant sensation wrapped around her as his hand rubbed down the length of her notched back and then across thin shoulders. Dracula was resting his head on hers as she pressed into his chest, fully surrounding herself with his scent, the happiness building in the pit of her stomach was almost enough to make her dizzy.

"I love you," the words slipped out as one hand found his shoulder, the other was content to rub the cool, smooth skin on his chest, taking in the muscles and ridges of his bones.

"I know," he sighed out as she pressed warm lips against cool skin, his hand working through sleep tousled hair, massaging her scalp before kissing the top of her head.

They laid in the darkness of his coffin, each gently touching and kissing the other until they were tired again. Ran's breath hitched when lips touched a sensitive ear and hands pulled her small frame completely flush to him. "My lady," he breathed out, sending shivers tingling down her spine. The elf muttered something incoherent as he brushed his cool lips over her, his tongue grazing her bottom lip, breaking out into chills when a hand skimmed the bottom of her shirt.

"Dracula," she hummed his name, as he adjusted positions in the cramped coffin.

His fangs scraped soft skin, "What, love?"

"You're cold." It was all but a whine

"That's always your complaint," Alucard's lips curled against her skin.

Her head tilted back, allowing him full access as he kissed the hypersensitive skin, the vampire took the hint and ran his cool tongue the length of her jugular, sending the elf into a fit of shivers.

"It's a valid one." He chuckled and removed the hand from her lower back to pulling her into a full hug, she snuggled into the curve of his neck, enjoying their clashing temperatures before planting a small kiss.

"Of course it is, kitten." His voice was quiet and smooth. A squeak left Ran as teeth closed down, barely pricking her neck before lapping the blood away.

"Dracula."

"You could at least get my name correct." She growled as her eyes opened, the coffin lid was open, Alucard was grinning down at the elf with smug satisfaction. Ran glared up at him, irritated that he wasn't down with her, annoyed that he was smirking, and irked that he hadn't woken her sooner.

"Don't look so smug," Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she raised an eyebrow as he reached a hand out, his smirk fading as he ruffled my hair.

"I miss those nights, too."


	6. Chapter 6

**[a/n: This is the lemon chapter (or the first one, depending) it's not important for the story line in case you feel the need to skip it]**

My elf was threatening my draculina. I grinned and leaned back into a chair, amused by the flicker of jealousy crossing Ran's face.

"No, no, no. It's not like a romantic relationship." Seras was casting glances to me, begging for help. I grinned harder.

"What the hell kind of relationship is it then?" Ran had her daggers out, her lip was split from a round of rough housing with me earlier. All together the little elf looked purely demonic.

"It's not, Ran. It's more like, er, more like he's training me! Kind of like I'm his kitten and he's training me to be a lion." A sound of anticipation passed my lips as I sat up, leaning on my elbows to see the look that crossed Ran's face.

"You are not his kitten." Her voice was a low growl, "Vampire, I am going to gut you and tear you to shreds." Ran was on Seras in a flash, I grinned at the fight, Seras trying not to damage the elf that I had declared dear to me, and Ran cutting up Seras in a md rage.

I sighed, realizing that Ran was either going to kill Seras or Seras would severely injure her, I grabbed Ran by the back of her shirt, and Seras by the nape of her neck. I sat my fledgling down. My body froze as my heart jolted, Ran's lips crashed to mine, her legs wrapping tightly around my waist, hands knocking my hat off as her fingers knotted into my hair.

Chuckling, I sunk through the floor with her. A groan peeled from my lips as she pulled away, breathing roughly. "Are you jealous?"

"Did you fucking touch her?" She was still growling as I ran my tongue over her ear, gently biting her, rewarded with a small moan.

"No," she shivered as I whispered, her muscles relaxed, "but I've thought about it." In reality, Seras' body didn't appeal to me, which had been the thoughts. Teeth bit into my throat, ripping at the skin as blood bubbled from my neck. A dagger found its way into my back, causing me to tighten my grip on her. "If you keep that up, I am going to ravish you, and it will be your fault entirely."

A hiss escaped my elf as she pulled on my hair, further exposing my throat. A smirk crossed my face as I slammed her into the coffin. Her doe eyes betrayed her hurt, despite the anger that sparked from them.

"If you insist, kitten." A malicious grin spread over my face as her face lit up with anger. She grabbed at my shirt, ripping a button off of it.

"You are mine, and mine entirely." Her usually soft voice was harsh. My eyes met hers, there was no need to tear my clothes. My glasses and duster dissipated as I pinned her down, tasting her sweet skin, slowly trailing my tongue from the base of her throat up her jugular before meeting her lips.

"Am I, kitten?" I laughed lightly and trapped her wrists down, wondering how much force I could apply before snapping the bones. "You're eager." I pulled her out of the coffin, my shadows dragging the lid closed so I could lay her on it. Her legs kicked up at me, trying to get me off her.

I let go of her hands to allow myself ability to kiss down her porcelain throat, sucking on the tender skin, enjoying her quiet mewls. I kissed over her shirt down to the hem before glancing up at her, smirking at the emeralds that were watching me. I went back to work, lifting the shirt inch by inch, her breathing faltered when I slid my tongue over her stomach, closing my eyes at the taste of her skin.

Her shirt was finally gone, she shivered as hovered over her, planting a kiss on her lips before moving her chest. Her breasts were soft, ending in hard little peaks. Ran shuddered when I took one in my mouth, sucking, flicking my tongue over the sensitive buds. I glanced up to see the anger still burning in her eyes, accompanied by layers of jealously. She jerked as I sank my fangs into her breast, pressing my hips to hers, the friction buckling my hips.

A growl escaped my as she knotted her hands in my hair, tugging me to her. My top clothing was gone, allowing me to press my skin against hers, she was warm, her stomach taught and little. I closed the bite mark and made my way south, kissing and licking her, remembering to drag my fingers down her sides to get more of a reaction from her. Ran's breath hitched again when I reached the top of her pants.

I wanted her right then, I wanted to bite her and fuck her, I refrained, and hooked my fingers into the waistband, grabbing the button with my teeth and yanking it off, pleased with her small gasp. I trailed a hand down to her legs, pressing against her through the tight material. She gasped lightly and ripped at my hair. Preparing her, I kissed her jutting hip bones, making a mental note to ask more food for her.

*omniscient POV*

Hands slipped her bottoms away, leaving her bruised legs exposed to the air, her head tilting back as he kissed down one leg, leaving cold saliva trails as he kissed up the other. Her heart was beating rapidly as her body throbbed. She was all too aware that he was reading her thoughts, he knew that when he smiled against her inner thigh, her stomach clenched.

"Kitten," he purred, his breath spreading across her exposed womanhood. Her hands furthered knotted into his silken hair as he raked his fangs across her thigh. Involuntarily, she jerked her hands as his cool tongue ran the length of her slit. A grunt left him as she tugged again. Her body broke out in chill bumps as he thrust his tongue into her core, gripping her legs as he did so.

"Dracula," his name was a small groan, but she could feel him smirking against her. Her body relaxed momentarily as he removed his tongue, her eyes closing before snapping open to meet crimson ones as he crashed his lips on her own, a small taste of herself lingered on his tongue. The elf buried her face into the crook of his neck, biting the flesh as two fingers slipped inside. Her nails scratched down his back, earning a low groan.

Her edge was coming as he sped up, scissoring his fingers. "Fuck," she managed as he pulled his hand away moments before she reached her high. The grin spread over his face as he made a show of licking his fingers.

Gripping the vampire's shoulders, she tried to roll him over, pleased when he didn't put up any sort of struggle. Her breath was heavy as she took over, letting her Count relax while she kissed down his muscled stomach, her hands ahead of her kisses.

"Ah, Ran," he removed his pants for her, she smiled up at her count. If he had done anything with Seras she was determined to make sure he knew she could do better than his "draculina."

Hands now gripped her hair, she was careful to only just kiss the tip of him, earning a shuddering response. Glancing up, she saw his eyes partially closed. Excitement tore through her as she took him in her mouth, she gasped as he yanked on her hair, forcing more of him in her mouth. Pausing to collect herself, Ran continued to slowly make her first bob, amused at the impatient groan from the vampire. He jerked his hips, shoving himself fully in her mouth, gagging her for less than a second.

Despite her determination to dominate this process, Alucard had a tight grip on her hair and was suddenly the one in control, trusting and pushing into her mouth, groaning when she'd rake her hands down his back. He tensed, she knew what was coming, he pulled away as his muscles shook before salty warmth filled her mouth.

His breath grew labored as she crawled back on him, pressing her lips to his, a hand held her head still, but it relaxed and began massaging the small, sore spot. "Ran," he whispered, sending a chill down her spine, "do you remember cutting Seras? Stabbing her? You understand she is my fledgling, right?" The elves eyes snapped open, staring at her Count, slightly afraid of what he was implying. "You don't think I can just let that go do you?"

"I, well," sarcasm fell from her as he shoved her off his chest, snatching her from the floor and pushing her against the coffin. "Dra-Alucard?" Her voice was failing as he bent her over the coffin.

"Shut up." Ran winced at the harshness of his tone. Her nails bit into the coffin lid as he leaned his body over hers, painfully gripping one breast in his hand. Her back arched as he slammed into her, hands moved to grip her hips. Pain filled her mind as he pulled back only to shove himself full into her again.

"Please," her voice betrayed her pain as he thrust again.

"I said shut up." A whimper tore from her throat as he continued, his groans and grunts sounding over hers.

"Wha," her voice faltered as he reached between her legs, feeling the growing wetness before rubbing small circles, heat throbbed from her womb as he completely dominated her, thrusting deeper. Juices dripped down her thigh as he sped up until she was crashing over the edge, almost desperate to let her body drop to the coffin.

He gripped her tighter, pulling her hips to him as he thrust. A shiver shot down her spine as he made a small sound, collapsing on her back, pinning her to coffin as he caught his breath. Arms encircle her as he phased through the coffin lid. "Fucker," she murmured, curling her body into his.

"You weren't complaining in the end." His voice was velvet as he stroked her hair, sending happy tingles though her scalp. "I never had those kinds of thoughts about Seras." She raised an eyebrow before giving in to his now gentle touch, kissing his chest until her body gave into the overwhelming desire of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Count," a soft voice pulled me from slumber. Green eyes blinked close to me, she was warm and gentle, pressing warm lips to my forehead and cheeks.

"What do you want, Ran?" An acute sadness was drifting over my elf as she continued to dot small kisses over my body.

"I have a really important favor to ask of you to ask for me." A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth as I wrapped an arm around her smooth body.

"Anything for my lady."

"I want to visit, not for long, I just want, Dracula, I miss, er-"

"You want to go see your village?" It was certainly a more human request than I expected, when she nodded, I sighed. "I'm sure Sir Integra will be understandable."

"You can go back to sleep if you want." She seemed small and scared, it was new for her. Her hands were shaking slightly and her voice had an underlying tone of utter depression.

"This has something to do with your imprisonment."

"I remembered something." She muttered, pressing a hotter than usual face into my chest.

Stroking her hair, in what I hoped was a comforting manner, I asked, "What was it?"

"They alluded that I was alone." A shiver ran down Ran's back, I tugged the blanket up, reading into her mind to see that she meant entirely alone as a race.

"I'm not tired." She nodded again and wrapped an arm over my chest, trembling slightly when I returned the embrace.

"Alucard, I just want to go back before all of this." Then she did something Ran didn't do: she cried openly. In her dreams she had shaken with tears, when she thought she was alone, she broke down, but she was reserved. My elf didn't cry in front of me, she didn't show weakness or fear. I was lost, I am a destroyer, not a comforter.

I settled for kissing her forehead and rubbing her back as she tried to collect herself. "Dracula," her voice was a mangled sob, "I was imprisoned for close to fifty years." She was scanning her memories, desperately trying to recall how she was caught, but it was all smoke, earth, and pain. Real details were in a fog, just out of her reach.

"Don't be so human." I muttered, pulling her up so I could kiss away the salty tears, "You don't know what happened. While fragile, you elves are a competitive race, it would take a lot to take on a village of elves." I didn't mention that there were only seven warrior elves left of that village, Ran included. I also didn't mention that guns were a terribly effective way of taking out any elf that wasn't on guard against them.

I didn't mention them, not out of kindness, but because she was thinking the same thing. Her mind was hot with worry, blood was dripping as her teeth cut into them, my tongue lapped at the precious blood, trying to seal the wound, only for her to cut it open again in an attempt to stop crying.

*Time Skip*

"I need to go to Scandinavia." I stood in my master's shadows as she light a cigar, the smoke curled and drifted, she watched it for a moment, weighing her options.

"Because of Ran?"

"Naturally."

"What would this visit entail?"

"Ran and I would go to Scandinavia, enter the forests, and head to her village. Upon seeing the condition of the village we could make an assessment that Ran was either captured there or elsewhere."

"How would this assessment work?"

"Ran knows there was smoke and fire, all we have to do is ask the elves, and check out the trees."

"Alucard," Sir Integra furrowed her eyebrows, "what if there isn't a village left?"

"We'll come back." I wanted to close my eyes and find Ran, unfortunately, Ran was off with Walter on a trip to pick up more of my Master's cigars.

"I don't like the idea of you running off to Scandinavia."

"Why don't you come along?" I took a bag of blood, imagining it to be a body, I impaled it with a straw, grinning slightly at the idea of impalement.

"This is very important for Ran's mental being, isn't it?"

"I would have talked her out of it, otherwise."

Integra took a long draw of her cigar. "Fine. Tomorrow we are leaving for Scandinavia. Inform Seras, she is to come as well."

I bowed and dissipated through the floor. I was curious to see the elves after so many years. They had operated as mercenaries for a long time. Many of the mercenaries were killed, however. There were the constants though, the bakers, the scavengers, scouts and blacksmiths. They were the elves that kept the mercenaries going, and the mercenaries would provide currency, materials, and protection for them. It was a circle they had worked out, and it worked out perfectly for the elves.

*Time Skip*

It was a bother to get our coffins through customs. We were under the pretenses that we had to deliver them to a Scandinavian family for certain funeral rites. It also took a little manipulation on my part. Integra was working on how we were going to manage to get them back into the country.

We were the only passengers in first class, and upon special request, no one bothered us with hot towels, peanuts, or juice. Ran had fallen asleep almost as soon as the plane took flight. I watched her carefully, trying to work through her dreams for some memory that would prove useful for preparing us to what we would find in the forest.

"Master," I glanced at Seras, "do you think everything will be alright for Ran?"

"Eventually." I took the hand of the sleeping elf, it was warm even through my gloves.

"I think she likes me better as of late." I let my fledgling ramble on, once again, Ran was trapped to that damned stone wall, one person operating the crank that controlled how much of her was chained to the wall, while another began crushing her hands. I picked up the hand that they crushed, running my fingers over the soft skin, feeling the bones that had grown back. Her middle knuckle was slightly further to the left than it ought to.

Ran's mind was chaotic as she slept. Her legs twitched and her nostrils flared as if she was sniffing the air in a rabbit-like fashion. I shoved the arm rest up, out of the way, and brought Ran to me, petting her hair and rubbing her back.

"You're unusually fond of this elf, Alucard." Sir Integra was smirking at me.

Ran twitched again, my hand rested on her calf as she laid half curled onto my chest. "It would seem so."

The plane landed, Ran shot up as the wheels hit the ground, jarring the plane slightly. By the time we had made it into the hotel Ran was ansty. She kept grabbing at my hand and then dropping it, making it difficult for me to not to pull out the Casull out of sheer irritation.

"How far into the woods will you be travelling?"

"We have to go about twenty miles in, then about ten miles to the west." Ran's large eyes were staring up at Integra, her hair was pulled to hide her ear tips and she kept feeling the tips in order to assure they were still there. "Alucard and I traveled it in half a day once."

A grin crossed my face as I recalled that day, we could have cut our time in half had we not found ourselves preoccupied with one another.

Integra walked around her room, smoking a cigar as she brewed over her thoughts. She wasn't about to go into the woods to make the hike. "Find out everything you can."

"Of course, Master."

It took an hour until we were at the base of the woods. Ran was grinning, emerald eyes were shining wth anticipation. I touched the small of her back, feeling the tremor of excitement as she sniffed the air. She was silent as she worked through the woods, it was evident she was enjoying the forest.

Lips caught mine, eliciting a small amount of surprise as she hung upside down from a branch, her hair swinging freely as her fingers traced shiver-educing patterns over my cheek bones. "What are you doing?"

She laughed quietly before moving back into the tree, ignoring my question. It continued this way for miles until Ran dropped out of the trees, landing on my shoulders. A growl left me as she wrapped her arms around my head, covering my eyes with her hands. She was laughing again, that damned bell-like Elven laughter rang through the surrounding area.

"You're slowing down progress, Ran."

"Integra didn't say when we had to be back. She did not even bother telling us to hurry." She moved from my shoulders down to my back.

"You're pathetic."

"You're," she was going to call me an asshole, so I squeezed her thigh, giving it a pinch that earned me a squeak.

We sped through the forest, stopping only to kiss on occasion. Her eyes flashed with the colors surrounding us, her heart was beating in an old cadence, one from years ago. It was nice to see my elf content once again.

"Its getting close to morning." She spoke after a while, her hand grazing mine as we walked, "we should be there really soon!" I didn't want to crush her happiness, but in the last five miles all that surrounded us was hip high grass, vines, and brambles. The berries were still on their vines, and there hadn't been sign of a footfall. Her head was tilted upwards as her lips parted in a small smile.

Part of me wanted to see if telling her would completely destroy that elf, another wanted to scoop her in my arms and walk her out of the forest. "Come on!" She chirped, I followed her into the tree, maneuvering through the branches as we approached where the village began.

Ran was moving so fast she missed the scorch mark an inch from where her hand had been. "Ran,"

Her heart was beating too fast, the only sounds were those of the birds waking up. "Alucard." Her voice broke into panic, she moved into the higher branches, leaping easily to the neighboring tree, "Alucard, w-where is everyone?" Tears were pricking in her large eyes as she dropped from the branches, catching onto another tree and working through it.

"We should leave."

"Alucard," she was panicking, her head snapped in different directions as she took everything in, her slender fingers ran over bark in the upper part of the tree. I sat on a branch, at a complete loss as to what I was expected to do. The elf moved away from me, deeper into the trees. "Dracula!" I rushed to her, she was on the ground, her face buried in her hands. There was the skeleton of a tree house, just visible from the ground. It had been burnt most of the way, the boards that remained were blackened.

"Ran," I landed besides her, she tried to stand, stumbling slightly, letting me pull her body into her mine for support. We walked further into where the village should be, some trees were gone completely, her body temperature was dropping, she dropped to her knees, grabbing something off the ground and cradling it to her chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Personal thanks to: Krazyfanfiction1, Angelrose20, Scarlet1200, Hetomi, and Silvers Ashe.**

**I hope you guys are enjoying this, let me know what you think is going to happen, I want to see what your lovely minds predict.**

Ran pulled the object closer to her chest, curling her upper body around it, hiding it completely from my view. Curious, I took a step closer, freezing when something crunched under my foot in a terribly familiar way. Hidden in the tall grass were hundreds of white objects. Ran was shaking as she rocked back and forth on her haunches. I knelt down to further examine the object, hoping I was imagining all of this.

A broken grin met me as I took in the skull, the forehead had been crushed in. A shiver coursed through me as Ran let out a half sob half whine. I crouched over her, pulling her small body into my own, taking a moment to realize how delicate she was; it felt like I was holding a glass figuring instead of a battle hardened warrior. She didn't uncurl when I pulled her to me, she dropped the object to her lap, knotting her hands into her hair, ripping and tearing at the raven locks. I clamped my hands over her forearms, furrowing my brow when she gave up resisting. It felt like swallowing holy water to watch her in such a human display of agony.

Then my darling began to cry. Her frail shoulders shook, her muscles tightened, curling in tighter as she let out a muffled scream. "I-I'll," she stuttered, resisting as I tried to pull her out of the tall grass, "I'll fucking kill them." She sobbed harder, blood permeated the air, she was undoubtedly ripping her lips open with her canines.

I gently sat her besides me, taking her head in my hands, planting what I hoped was a reassuring kiss on the top of her head before I backed away, scanning the area in an attempt to find clues on where the elves were. The better made bridges and structures remained, albeit scorched and weaker than I remembered. The homes were made directly into the trees, hidden from sight by minimal amounts of magik and natural camouflage.

Once, there had been hundreds of woven "nests" that hung from the trees. The nests had been just large enough to accommodate an elf, filled with ultra soft bedding, usually down feathers and Elven silk. There were no traces of the nests, maneuvered through the remaining structures, finding only skeletons, scraps of fabric, and scorch marks.

Upon finding nothing, I returned to Ran, who was laying in the grass, staring blankly up at the rising sun, a skull rested on her chest, her hands holding either side of it. "Do you want to go?" I asked, kneeling beside her small form.

She shook her head, slender fingers running over the ridges of the skull. "They killed everyone."

"Ran," her eyes were red, contrasting brilliantly with her enormous green irises, "we should leave."

"T-this was A-anker." The skull had a series of beads embedded where the eyebrows ought to have been. I lifted her head, gently placing it in my lap, stroking her hair as she silently cried. "D-dracula, he t-taught me to f-fight."

"He taught you well, Ran." she closed her eyes as tears trickled down her pale face, I wiped them away rested my knuckles on the ridge of her cheek. The grass concealed us almost entirely, it felt alien to sit in nature when I was accustomed to stone chambers and war fields.

"The fire burnt away the magik." She muttered, her sharp nails ticked at the skull, making hollow sounds. "The elders worked so hard on figuring that out." Ran's musical voice was hollow her pupils had widened, taking up most of her iris. She had never looked more feline than in that moment.

"Ran, are there other Elven villages?" Her eyes locked with mine.

"Saying my name d-doesn't make you sound more sensitive." Her voice sounded tight, she then looked away, up at the veins of orange and yellow breaking through the sky.

"Are there?"

"D-do you ever wonder when you're going to finally die?"

"Ran." Her teeth re-cut her lips, the crimson beaded slowly around her white teeth before I lowered my mouth to lick away the blood. She looked at me through heavily lidded eyes, tears building behind her dark lashes. I didn't want her to answer the question anymore, I just wanted her to do something besides cry. She could stab me, tear out my throat, braid my hair, demand to be carried - literally anything besides falling further into her hollowed void.

She suddenly sat up, moving to sit in my lap, pushing her face into my shoulder, still clutching onto Anker's skull. "I'm going to kill them, I will kill them." She repeated the phrase over and over until her voice became a growl through grit teeth.

The skull was pressed into my stomach as she furthered burrowed her face into my shoulder, not reacting when I laid a hand on her back. I felt almost perverse for admiring how beautiful the tears had turned her face. The tip of her nose was red, her cheeks were twice as ashen, the green of her eyes surpassed the forest, and her hair was tousled from when she ripped and tore at it.

A glint of determination returned to her eyes as she used my shoulders to stand up, her legs shaking. Anker's skull grinned in my face as she let her arms fall to her sides. "I will teach them the meaning of hell." A tear slipped down her face, she jerked her hand to wipe it away. "What they have done to my people pales in comparison to what I will do to them." A smile stretched over my face as I rose to stand with her.

"And if they are elderly and in a nursing facility?" I raised an eyebrow, knowing the supreme respect elves held with the elders.

"Then they had better have made peace with themselves or whatever entity they hold dear." I took a step towads her, pulling her to me so I could rest my chin on her head.

"They have offended, upset, and dishonored my Lady," I whispered, the wind picking up slightly, "it would be foolish to belive that you will have all the revenge." I grazed a finger over her jaw, heat rushing through me as anger replaced the sorrow in my elf.

"Order me to kill them, my Count." I pulled one of her hands up, giving her sufficient time to maneuver the skull under her arm, removing the glove from my right hand, I touched her wrist, staring at the blue veins crisscrossing under creamy flesh.

"Ran, the Destroyer," I kissed her wrist as she knelt, her pulse pounding against my lips, "Last of the Elves and the Last of Dracula's army, I command you, as your Count, to destroy those who killed your people. Slaughter without mercy." A black cross appeared on her wrist, she hissed lightly through her teeth, closing her eyes.

"Yes, my lord." Lips brushed over my knuckles. She then nuzzled my hand, her eyelashes tickling the skin there. I grinned down at her, feeling the resentment that was growing in the pit of her stomach.

*Time Skip*

There was still a hollowness in Ran, her hair was constantly pulled into a braid down her back, she spent most of her awake hours away from me, rekindling her old skills, running, hurling daggers, putting herself in situations just to work out of them. When morning came, she would crawl into my casket, her body still warm from exercising, and kiss at my jaws and neck until she fell asleep.

"Alucard," Integra looked sharply at me, "the massacre of an entire race is nothing more than crude genocide. We cannot look over this, we will not look over this. This was not only an attack on the elves, but on the Queen they had once protected."

I was quiet, realizing that like Seras, Walter, and myself, Integra had grown fond of the elf. "We will hunt these bastards down." She linked her hands together and rested her chin on them. "You will have to prob the Elf's mind, find the memories she does not remember and unlock them."

I bowed, not wanting to comply, but I knew I had to. It was still night, and my dear was still asleep, no doubt curled in the blanket and making small sounds. I descended to my room and took a moment to suck a blood pack dry. Anker's skull sat on the table, a constant reminder for Ran to push herself to training.

I knelt besides the coffin, looking down at the sleeping figure. Her hair was wild as she slept, coral lips moved, mouthing phrases in German and Nynorsk. I slipped her hair out of the braid, wondering at the sight of her with slight curled hair opposed to her usual straight and wild look.

Ran's eyes fluttered open, I felt the slight stiffness in her muscles. "Wha?"

"We need to work on your memory." She let out a groan and reached her arms up to me. I complied and pulled her weary body up into my arms. "It's probably the only way we can discover who did this."

I sat with her on my chair, drinking another blood packet before trying to figure out how we were going to manage. Drinking her blood would show me memories she knew, but the closed off ones would require complete draining to achieve. Tht was simply not going to work in either of our favors.

"Short of killing me, I don't know how you are going to accomplish this." I pressed my face into her back, letting her body heat spread over me, she pulled the skull into her lap, kissing the brow before she did so. "You can't kill me until I've taken revenge."

"Ran," I tightened my grip around her waist, "I have an idea."

"Mm?"

"It will probably mentally scar you."

"Sounds unpleasant."

"Ran, I imagine it will be extremely taxing."

"Do it." She sat the skull down with a hollow thump and turned around in my lap. "Do whatever it takes. I don't care."

Her lips were soft and warm when I crashed them onto hers, she kissed back slowly, sweet and sensual. Depending on what we were about to find in her mind, I figured it could be one of the last kisses I had from my elf in a long time. Her hands ran though my hair, sending lovely tingles down my spine.

"Are you ready?" Searching her eyes, rather than listening to her, I waited on her answer. When the green orbs hardened, I kissed her forehead and took a deep breath. It was time to destroy my elf.


	9. Chapter 9

_[a/n: I write these around 2-5 in the AM, so I apologize for grammatical errors, but I think the spelling should be alright.]_

"The first issue is that you were drugged." Ran nodded, still sleepy,her eyes were heavily lidded. "If was only a matter of repressed memories." I sighed.

"What's the plan?" She chewed on her bottom lip, slipping down so she was straddling my lap, resting her head against my chest. The warmth was distracting, her scent was overwhelming, I kissed her hair, figuring out how to word the process in a way that wouldn't terrify her.

"When you try to pull up a memory, you end up with what's almost fog in your mind, correct?" Nodding, she gripped onto my duster. "So the concept is to clear the fog. I'm going to drink a lot of your blood while you try to concentrate on a single memory."

"And you think this is going to work?"

"In theory. We're going to start with the clearest of the memories. Don't worry, I'm going to find them, and all you have to do is try to remember. Scents, lighting, temperature. Can you do this?"

"I kind of have to. Alucard," her eyes lifted to mine, "how much blood is a lot?" A half laugh half snort came from me.

"A lot." I said again, not wanting to tell her that I would leave just enough in her for her to live. "When you feel ready, my Dear." Slowly, I unbuttoned the top few buttons of her sleeping shirt, tucking the collar down and kissing her sweet throat.

Hands brushed over my face, fingers obscured my sight as she slipped the sunglasses off me, followed by my hat. "I need to see your eyes." Her heart wasn't hammering, but it had increased speed.

"Of course. Try to stay calm, it'll keep your heart from pounding too hard." I drew her closer, tilting her head back, licking her jugular, I searched through the available memories, moving back until I found one that seemed just out of reach.

Sweet blood poured into my mouth as I sunk my teeth deep into her throat, she shivered, her grip loosening slightly. The memory was hazy, her heart was pounding rapidly, practically sending the waves of blood in my mouth.

The memory shimmered, clearing and fogging as she tried to grasp onto it. Drawing Ran closer, I began to sort out details, the memory was growing clearer and clearer into my mind as her precious blood ran down my throat. Part of me tried to focus on Ran's grip, making sure there was sufficient strength in her grip.

The memory grew into focus, her breath hitched as the scene became clear.

_"Where are the other villages?" The voice was pleasant, almost warm. Ran's hand twitched as screws tightened. She was watching her arm carefully, the contraption around it was pinching her skin unpleasantly. _

_Chained to the opposing wall was what appeared to be the remains of an elf, the skull was smashed in, blood staining the wall as a mass of tissue and brains remained stuck and clumped in certain areas._

_"Where are they?" The man snapped, his hand grabbing her face, fingers digging into her hollowed cheeks as she was forced to look up at him. Brown, rodent-like eyes stared down at her. A glob of spit and blood trickled down his face as Ran spat on him. "Wrong answer, elf."_

_The vice tightened on her elbow, the screws squeaking as the pain grew, her skin was pinched between metal and bone before it went momentarily numb, she hissed and stamped her feet in pain as an audible crack filled the air. Almost gasping, Ran slammed her other hand onto the table. _

_Laughter filled the air as the man began tightening another clamp on her wrist. Her gaze dropped to the floor, concentrating heavily on the stone and his oxfords._

_"What, little elf, will it take to get an answer from you?" He raised her face again, his face was pale and doughy. Light brown hair was combed over a balding spot._

_"Fuck you." She growled as the vice tightened on her wrist, the pain from her elbow had deadened the pain she was experiencing now._

_"That's what I intend." With her arm clamped to a table, she struggled, a pain ripped from her shoulder as it dislocated. The man grabbed at her chest, her other hand raked across his face, drawing blood as she lunged for his throat, cut short by the table. _

_The muscles in her shoulder were tearing as she ripped at her arm, stopping suddenly when something in her arm grated. A needle plunged into her neck, deep into her vein, furiously shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the unwelcome object._

_Roughly, she jerked her arm once more, further ripping her muscles as her lids grew heavy, she held her defiance even as darkness enclosed her._

Ran was struggling lightly against me, carefully, I closed the wounds and held her to my chest as her eyelids fluttered. A smile tugged at my lips, having always known Ran to be stubborn, heat spread through my stomach, recalling the mind numbing pain of her ripping her arm out of it's socket. Her forehead was cool when I kissed her, she let out a groan before muttering something.

"Shh," her lips were smooth under my finger, "you're close to death, my dear. Relax, but do not fall asleep." Piercing my palm, I held my hand to her, offering blood to her parted lips. Almost delicately, she sniffed the air, her eyebrows furrowed before parting her lips further.

It wasn't uncommon for elves to drink blood, in battle it was almost a common, despite receiving no nutritional benefit from it. Ran grabbed at my hand, missed, and settled for me holding the back of her head with my other hand, supporting her as the blood dripped into her mouth.

Hours passed, I'd roughly jar her when she threatened to fall asleep, until I declared she had managed to replace a sufficient amount of blood to safely drift into sleep. Her body curled around the blanket when I placed her in my coffin. Troubled, I couldn't sleep, and settled for pacing.

Over and over, I replayed the memory, getting a perfect image of the man's face. She had once called him the doctor, although it wasn't the face I had been expecting it was a face I loathed.

The filth had touched Ran, he had crushed her bones, and starved her. It filled me with an urge to destroy everything in sight, yet, I was terribly aroused and amused with Ran ripping and tearing at her own body to escape the man. Her breathing was light, as she drifted to sleep, I tore my thoughts from her and worked up the levels to make a report to Integra.

She listened with interest, not asking any of the questions that flitted through her mind. "You and Ran have many things in common." I moved to her shadow, avoiding the rays of the rising sun that grated my nerves.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Alucard, do you have actual feelings for this woman?"

"Elf." She glared at me, laughter ripped from my lungs as she drew he gun.

"You're pushing it, Alucard." I grinned, remembering the little girl who had screamed defiantly in my face. She set the pistol on the table and sighed. I gave her a smile as gave me an order to take out a small number of ghouls and their "vampire" master.

The bloodshed was only just enough to ease the building tension in my mind, the vampire had only severed the fine nerves I had remaining, Seras wouldn't even had a challenge dealing with this coward.

Ran was in fits when I returned, her body was thrashing violently, picking her up only made her more aggressive. Irritated, I dropped her to the floor, where she promptly woke up and hurled a dagger through my calf.

Her eyes were wild, she hissed and threw another, the blade caught between my fingers before it could pierce my eye. Ran jumped to the back of my chair, perching, staring down at me with a mixture of both anger and confusion.

"C-count Dracula," her voice sighed out, her muscles visibly relaxed, I caught her easily, enjoying her proximity as she nuzzled into the hand I had been stroking her cheek with.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"The only thing I want is to kill that bastard."

"We'll manage." I let her go in order to retrieve medical blood set by Walter.

"Have you not had enough?"

I smirked as she rolled her eyes, her fingers working her long hair into a braid. When I took a seat, I found her perching besides me on the arm rest. Her hands began tugging on my hair, combing with her fingers before braiding. "Sometim-"

"Shut up, you drank the majority of my blood, I am entitled the right to play with your hair." I drank my blood in silence as she twisted strands together and undid them. From the corner of my eye I could see the small smile resting on her lips. Electricity shot through me as fingers grazed over my ears. The smile turned into a smirk as she traced the curve and shape.

"What are you doing?" On instinct, my head titled towards her hand.

"You play with my ears, I'm only returning the favor." Her fingers locked into my hair, she sighed and nosed the hat from my head, urging me to lean in towards her. Shivers erupted as lips ran over the shell before working down my neck.

"You lost too much blood for this." It was a chore to manage words as she bit me.

"I'm only returning the favor," she repeated, closing my eyes, I relaxed, letting her what she pleased, which was apparently moving to my lap and snuggling her face into my throat. Calmly, I worked the braid out of her hair as she wrapped her arms around me. "I want to sleep now." Ran yawned and nuzzled me again.

"Then sleep, tomorrow we raise another veil."


End file.
